Before and After: Stunning Los Angeles Home

When updating a home built by one of California’s most respected architects, the best tactic just might be to tread lightly.

Perhaps that’s why, when approached by documentary film producer Cristan Reilly to design the 1950s Gerard Colcord home she purchased in 2012, designers Heidi Bonesteel and Michele Trout opted for the “less is more” tack.

Luckily, the country-style Colonial had been left in good hands for the past 30 years. Previous owner Harrison Ford made several additions to the original property, but wisely enlisted the expert eye of Colcord’s assistant, Liza Kent, who took over the first renovation in 1984 after Colcord’s death.

“The house had been perfectly maintained,” says Cristan. “The respect shown to Colcord’s work was of the highest level. It’s such an honor and a privilege to live in something like this. There’s an intimacy and connectedness that everyone feels as soon as they walk through the door.”

In the living room, French doors with a view of Los Angeles make this seating area prime real estate. An Elizabeth Eakins rug and a lantern upholstered in Fortuny fabric play beautifully off the neutral paneled walls.

To honor the architect’s original scale, structural changes were kept to a minimum in favor of more cosmetic modifications. Architectural details—original paneling, myriad French doors, and fireplaces—were left intact and highlighted with a mélange of textural elements and subtle color.

“Cristan has three boys,” Bonesteel says. “She wanted the house to be comfortable and usable for the family, but still quiet and grown-up.”

Subtle updates—a blue-gray wallcovering from Holland & Sherry and a jute rug from Merida—give the entry an on-trend textural appeal. “We used thick jute rugs throughout the house,” says Michele Trout, who undertook the redesign with business partner Heidi Bonesteel. “The added texture against the traditional bones makes the house feel current.”

In the living room, that meant adding a neutral, paper-backed linen wallcovering and equally uncomplicated furnishings to play off Colcord’s classic details. The subdued palette has an added bonus, acting as a foil for the room’s decorative exclamation point—a kinetic painting by Eric Zener.

“Art is so important to a house,” Cristan notes. “It’s the conversation piece in any room. And Eric’s piece starts a lot of conversations.”

On the other side of the large space, a built-in cabinet was removed to accommodate what has become the room’s entertaining hub—a mahogany bar with a custom island that takes advantage of the room’s breathtaking views of Los Angeles from downtown to Avalon.

“I felt this house had that vintage Hollywood glamour,” says Cristan. “We wanted to bring that out.”

To amp up the glam, the bar is upholstered with gray wool flannel and lined with glass shelves held up by brass brackets. Vintage door knockers are reincarnated as exotic drawer pulls.

The island was custom-made by Big Daddy’s Antiques from bridge parts topped with a zinc counter.

Yin to the living room’s yang, the dining room features walls stained a deep gray—a photographic negative of the living room’s pale scheme. Illuminated by a sculptural light fixture of rubbed bronze and polished brass and teardrop sconces with a feminine edge, the room becomes a showcase after dark.

The dining chairs are from Rose Tarlow. Teardrop sconces are from Bourgeois Bohème Atelier.

Open kitchens have become a trend, but Cristan opted to leave that room enclosed. “Heidi and Michele did a spectacular job on the living and dining rooms,” she says. “I wanted to make sure that we lived and entertained in those spaces. This is our private family space. Plus, I can just close the door and worry about the mess later.”

That’s not to say that the room wasn’t given a bit of a facelift to match the rest of the home. A showstopping Calacatta marble backsplash and countertops are illuminated by custom light fixtures. Existing cabinets were updated with brass hardware that coordinates with brackets used on the island and a floating shelf on the marble backsplash. And while the initial paint color was to be blue-gray, the trio decided they preferred the primer color—creating an all-white backdrop for the graphic space.

To accommodate three boys at mealtime, cabinets were removed in favor of a banquette in the sunlit breakfast room. Waxed linen upholstery and welcoming patterns—in the form of window shades and throw pillows—emphasize the room’s casual grace and infuse a playfulness in the space.

A plaid fabric from Rogers & Goffigon plays off the blue-gray hue of the built-in bookshelves. The wing chairs were custom- made by Bonesteel Trout Hall and upholstered in a houndstooth fabric from Holland & Sherry.

“This is a large house, overall,” Trout says, “but every room feels comfortable and welcoming. It’s the perfect scale to live and be happy in. That’s the case with all of Colcord’s homes. He knew how to build beautiful, human-scale houses.”